My Planting Calendar

What to plant in August in zone 6

USDA zone 6 has winter lows of -10 to 0°F, a typical last spring frost around Apr 15 and first fall frost around Oct 15, roughly 185 frost-free days. August is the "peak growing season" there.

34 crops have a sowing or planting window this month, including bush bean, carrot, kale, radicchio, collard greens, endive & escarole - and 10 of those windows close during August.

Dates come from the typical frost dates of USDA zone 6 (last frost Apr 15, first frost Oct 15). A zone covers many climates, so for dates tuned to your town use the planting calendar, or pick your state below.

Peak growing seasonSow or plant: 34Start indoors: 0Harvesting: 16

Zone 6: planting activity through the year

5
29
65
90
58
11
24
34
8
2
2
0
JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
Frost riskFrost-free: Apr 15 – Oct 15
Bars count the vegetables, herbs and fruit with a sowing or planting window in each month, from the state’s average frost dates. 34 have one in August; the busiest month is April (90).

Last chance in August

Bush Bean (sow for a fall crop, by Aug 6) · Carrot (sow for a fall crop, by Aug 6) · Kale (sow for a fall crop, by Aug 6) · Radicchio (sow for a fall crop, by Aug 6) · Collard Greens (sow for a fall crop, by Aug 13) · Endive & Escarole (sow for a fall crop, by Aug 13) · Napa Cabbage (sow for a fall crop, by Aug 13) · Parsley (sow for a fall crop, by Aug 13) · Pea (sow for a fall crop, by Aug 13) · Swiss Chard (sow for a fall crop, by Aug 13)

For fall and winter harvests (30)

Sowings counted back from zone 6's first fall frost, so the crop matures before the cold - or, for garlic and similar, planted after it.

CropWhat to doWindowThis month
Bush BeanSow for a fall cropJul 20 – Aug 6Last chance - ends Aug 6
CarrotSow for a fall cropJul 20 – Aug 6Last chance - ends Aug 6
KaleSow for a fall cropJul 20 – Aug 6Last chance - ends Aug 6
RadicchioSow for a fall cropJul 20 – Aug 6Last chance - ends Aug 6
Collard GreensSow for a fall cropJul 27 – Aug 13Last chance - ends Aug 13
Endive & EscaroleSow for a fall cropJul 27 – Aug 13Last chance - ends Aug 13
Napa CabbageSow for a fall cropJul 27 – Aug 13Last chance - ends Aug 13
ParsleySow for a fall cropJul 27 – Aug 13Last chance - ends Aug 13
PeaSow for a fall cropJul 27 – Aug 13Last chance - ends Aug 13
Swiss ChardSow for a fall cropJul 27 – Aug 13Last chance - ends Aug 13
BeetSow for a fall cropAug 3 – Aug 20Aug 3 – Aug 20
Cilantro / CorianderSow for a fall cropAug 3 – Aug 20Aug 3 – Aug 20
Bok Choy / Pak ChoiSow for a fall cropAug 10 – Aug 27Aug 10 – Aug 27
BorageSow for a fall cropAug 10 – Aug 27Aug 10 – Aug 27
DillSow for a fall cropAug 10 – Aug 27Aug 10 – Aug 27
Fava Bean (Broad Bean)Sow for a fall cropAug 10 – Aug 27Aug 10 – Aug 27
Green Onion / ScallionSow for a fall cropAug 10 – Aug 27Aug 10 – Aug 27
KohlrabiSow for a fall cropAug 10 – Aug 27Aug 10 – Aug 27
LettuceSow for a fall cropAug 10 – Aug 27Aug 10 – Aug 27
Mache (Corn Salad)Sow for a fall cropAug 10 – Aug 27Aug 10 – Aug 27
MizunaSow for a fall cropAug 10 – Aug 27Aug 10 – Aug 27
Rapini (Broccoli Raab)Sow for a fall cropAug 10 – Aug 27Aug 10 – Aug 27
ChervilSow for a fall cropAug 17 – Sep 3Opens Aug 17
Mustard GreensSow for a fall cropAug 17 – Sep 3Opens Aug 17
SpinachSow for a fall cropAug 17 – Sep 3Opens Aug 17
TatsoiSow for a fall cropAug 17 – Sep 3Opens Aug 17
TurnipSow for a fall cropAug 17 – Sep 3Opens Aug 17
ArugulaSow for a fall cropAug 24 – Sep 10Opens Aug 24
WatercressSow for a fall cropAug 24 – Sep 10Opens Aug 24
RadishSow for a fall cropAug 31 – Sep 17Opens Aug 31

Harvesting in August

First harvests expected this month from crops sown or planted on time earlier in the season.

Lima Bean · Jul 3 – Aug 2Chili Pepper · Jul 8 – Aug 7Watermelon · Jul 8 – Aug 7Leek · Jul 10 – Aug 29Winter Squash · Jul 11 – Aug 10Parsnip · Jul 17 – Aug 16Salsify · Jul 20 – Aug 29Pumpkin · Jul 21 – Aug 20Rosemary · Jul 21 – Aug 20Celery · Jul 24 – Sep 2Celeriac · Jul 24 – Aug 13Luffa (Loofah Gourd) · Jul 28 – Sep 26Peanut · Jul 31 – Sep 19Sweet Potato · Aug 4 – Sep 3Zucchini / Summer Squash · Aug 27 – Sep 28Chayote · Aug 27 – Sep 26

Peak growing season: August garden jobs in zone 6

  1. Water deeply two or three times a week rather than a little every day - about an inch a week, more in heat. See watering a vegetable garden.
  2. 9 weeks until the average first frost (October 15). Fall crops start now: bush bean, carrot, kale, radicchio. See the fall and winter garden guide.
  3. Check the undersides of leaves twice a week - catching pests early is most of the battle (pest identification guide).
  4. Harvest often: lima bean, chili pepper, watermelon, leek should be coming in. Picking regularly keeps beans, squash and cucumbers producing.

Questions gardeners ask

What can I plant in zone 6 in August?

34 crops have a window in August: bush bean, carrot, kale, radicchio, collard greens, endive & escarole, napa cabbage, parsley, pea, swiss chard and more. The tables above give the exact dates for each.

When are the last and first frost in zone 6?

The typical last spring frost is around Apr 15 and the first fall frost around Oct 15. These are broad zone averages, so your own town can be a week or two either side: look yours up by ZIP code in the planting calendar.

What can I harvest in zone 6 in August?

From plantings made on time: lima bean, chili pepper, watermelon, leek, winter squash, parsnip, salsify, pumpkin, rosemary, celery.

August in states with land in zone 6

AlaskaArizonaArkansasCaliforniaColoradoConnecticutIdahoIllinoisIndianaKansasKentuckyMaineMarylandMassachusetts

Zone 6 in other months

JanuaryFebruaryMarchAprilMayJuneJulySeptemberOctoberNovemberZone 6 overview →

What to plant in August in other zones

Zone 3Zone 4Zone 5Zone 7Zone 8Zone 9Zone 10All states →

Dates are computed from the zone’s typical frost dates and each crop’s timing in our crop database. Your garden may be a week or two either side.